Socially Active

THE WAR AGAINST WISDOM

Tag: Education

Trump’s Anti-People Priorities

We have seen the real Donald Trump and his actions prove that he is against people and their bodies and brains. As the President slashes and murders policies and programs that were designed to protect people, the environment and promote education, we will all suffer from his war against wisdom.

On Earth Day 2017, we had the usual parades, but this year’s celebration included a March for Science to promote “science?” WHAT? When did we get to the point where SCIENCE needed to fight for respect? The misconceptions that have been fed into Trump’s deformed brain are obviously the product of other small thinkers who have avoided facts. When you say, something is a hoax, you have to show the facts in science.

The idea that we can eliminate concepts like the Environment Protection Agency and curb the destruction that is taking place in rivers, streams and the air we breathe is so rash and irresponsible. When we have another water crisis, like Flint, we can all blame the Donald for the disaster.

Most military experts agree that job one of the United States State Department is to produce facts and solutions in simmering spots around the world. Before we send in the Marines, we expect our state department to figure out how to solve the problem before we get into wars and conflicts. Why would Trump cut jobs and decease the infrastructure of State when the world isn’t getting any safer? Even Russia complained about the lack of personnel in the department.

And in Education: As the Center for America Progress reports: Trump budget would slash $9 billion—13 percent of the U.S. Department of Education’s funding—while investing $1.4 billion of new money in school choice, including private school vouchers, sending a clear signal that the Trump administration prioritizes ideologically driven voucher schemes over great public schools. Of course, the middle class may benefit if they have a private school that fits their dogma in their district, but most of the people who voted for Trump will suffer with poor public schools. In ten years, we can all blame Peggy DeVos and Donald Trump for poorly prepared graduates who can’t get jobs.

On Earth Day, President Tweet wrote: “I am committed to keeping our air and water clean but always remember that economic growth enhances environmental protection. Jobs matter!” With this, the President has staked out a position that no money in his budget should be spent on anything that monitors, analyzes or works to solve climate change. Just because a company makes a lot of money doesn’t mean they will protect their workers or the environment. As a Pittsburgher in the 40s and 50s can tell you, the air wasn’t so clean while US steel companies made tons of money.

And what piece of the pie grows in the Trump budget? There will be a $54 billion increase in Military spending, but due to his mystical promise to lower the national debt he must cut something else out of the budget.

His minions appear to be going after spending as if they are more out to undo the Obama agenda without regard for progress. Trump’s departments and commissions are holding up money to projects that have already been approved. Why?

The Federal Transit Administration put a $650 million federal grant for electrification of a San Francisco Bay Area train system in purgatory. The delay would stop California’s high-speed rail project, which sounds like the infrastructure upgrade Trump kept touting during the campaign. The train line is more than thirty-years old and needs to be upgraded for environmental and safety reasons. The actions are anti-people policies that do more harm than good.

FactCheck.Org

According to Fortune magazine, if “parity” reigns, and both sides of the discretionary budget rise $54 billion in fiscal 2017, total debt and deficits over the next decade will balloon by around $1.4 trillion, including interest expense on the extra debt.

So, Donald Trump lied to America when he said he would lower the debt in his first year. The facts on the issue are clear, his proposals are no different than Obama or Bush on spending money. We all have to remember, when Clinton passed a very unpopular tax increase in his first year he was able to lower the deficit. These are facts and the thickness of the ice at the north pole are facts, not opinions.

Science was used by the Wright Brothers to figure out how to fly. We sure hope President Donald J. Trump understands that every time he steps on to Air Force One, he is benefiting from science. We don’t need a March for Science, we need to fund science and education to keep America great. Does Agent Orange understand this? Sad!